


Unintelligent Design

by TinCanTelephone



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Sarcasm, Sickfic, Snark, cause why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 12:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16017581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinCanTelephone/pseuds/TinCanTelephone
Summary: Kay won't shut up about how illogical he finds intelligent design, and Jyn finds herself playing the devil's advocate.Cassian unintentionally proves Kay's point.





	Unintelligent Design

**Author's Note:**

> I was boredddd you guys :P

As a rule, Jyn tried to live her life with few regrets. Not that she hadn’t made  _mistakes_  (and boy, there had been some mistakes), but she tried not to let any of them turn into  _regrets_. 

But she was seriously starting to regret helping Cassian rebuild K-2SO. The latest recruitment mission had been rather less than successful and this time, it wasn’t her fault.

“For the last time,” she said, stabbing at the protein mush the canteen served up for dinner. “It’s not your business to  _convert_  people.” 

“I was not converting them,” he said. “I was simply correcting.”

“You were making everything more difficult,” Jyn grumbled. “It’s hard to convince people to support your cause when your fucking droid is going around telling everyone their cultural beliefs are ‘wrong.’“ 

“Well, they were.”

“That’s not the point. Cassian, back me up.” 

Cassian blinked and looked up. “I’m sorry?”

“Tell Kay I’m right.”

“Oh…” Cassian glanced nervously between them. “Kay, uh, you just have to try to understand Jyn’s point of view…”

Kay huffed. “You were not listening. This is highly uncharacteristic. Are you in need of medical attention? Did you receive a wound on Togoria that you have concealed? You promised not to do that five standard months ago after the mission to Ruusan.”

"I'm not wounded, Kay."

To his credit, he met Kay's oculars and seemed to be telling the truth, but Jyn glanced down and his tray was still full, like he’d spent the whole meal just pushing food around. As much as she hated to agree with Kay… “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Cassian put down his fork. “I’m fine. I'm just not hungry.”

“You have not eaten in over ten hours,” said Kay.

“Really? Did you skip lunch or something?” They’d been in hyperspace from Togoria for most of the day, but with more than enough freeze-dried rations.

“Not on purpose.” He shrugged. “I just forgot, I guess.”

Jyn narrowed her eyes. It was still hard for her to tell when Cassian was lying, but in the present moment she wasn’t inclined to interrogate him about his eating habits. Everyone skipped meals sometimes, didn’t they? 

So she shrugged and moved on. “Anyway– Kay, the point isn’t whether they were  _wrong_ , you were being rude.”

Kay huffed. “ _Organics_.”

“I know. We can be so sensitive.” Jyn took a bite protein mush. “Sure you're not hungry, Cassian? It’s actually kind of good tonight.”

Cassian took a deep breath. “I’m sure.” He swallowed. “I have a meeting with Draven.”

“At this hour?”

But he was already halfway across the canteen, walking so fast he nearly ran over Bodhi. Jyn considered following him, then shook her head and planted her feet to the ground. He wouldn’t appreciate the invasion of personal space. 

She focused on finishing her dinner, nodding as Bodhi sat down across from her. “Training go okay?”

"Great.” He shrugged his flight suit off his shoulders. “What’s up with Cassian?”

“No idea. He’s been weird ever since we landed.”

“Did he eat something funny on Togoria?” 

“What?” 

“It’s just… he looked kind of green when he ran into me.”

_Shavit_. Jyn tossed down her fork. “I knew he should’ve gone to the medbay.” She stood and picked up her tray. “Sorry, I should go find him.”

“Oh– of course. See you later.”

“See you.” Jyn tossed the rest of her dinner and hurried down the corridors of Home I. She should've thought of that before, like she should've noticed when he didn't eat lunch. It was just like Cassian to not say anything when he felt bad, then get annoyed when everyone was on top of him about everything. 

She nearly broke the lock in her haste to slice it, trying to let her anger overrule her concern. It wouldn’t do to get emotional at this point.

His room was dark when the door opened, but there was light coming from under the ‘fresher door. She braced herself, then tapped lightly on the durasteel.

“Cassian?”

Silence.

“Are you okay?”

Still no answer, but she heard him shuffle around, then the sound of water running. 

“Did you throw up?” 

“One second, Jyn.”

Not an answer to her question, but his voice was weak and rough. She stepped back when the door hissed open and watched him shuffle over to the bed, pale and slack-jawed.

“What do you need?” he said, lowering himself down onto his back.

Jyn blinked. What did  _she_  need? “I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

“I’m–”

“Don’t even start. Why didn’t you go to the medbay?”

Cassian seemed to glare at her for a second (it was hard to tell in the dark), then rubbed his face and groaned. “It’s not a big deal. Just the stomach flu.”

"When did you start feeling sick?" How long had she been oblivious? 

"Sometime on the flight back. I thought it would fade." He opened his eyes and glanced over. "I didn't want to worry you."

"Well, consider me worried." Hells, this was just like him. How long would it take him to learn that _not telling people things so they wouldn't worry_ always had the opposite effect? She began poking around his desk. “Where do you keep your canteens?”

“Hanging in the closet.”

“Great.” She found three, filled all of them in the ‘fresher sink, and brought them to his side table. “You should try to stay hydrated.”

He looked suspicious, but pushed himself slowly to sitting and drank a few sips. 

She noticed a sheen of sweat on his forehead and reached up without thinking. 

Then Cassian looked up and she paused with her hand halfway to his face.  “Sorry– can I–?”

“Go ahead.”

Heart beating far faster than it should, she touched the back of her hand briefly to his forehead and tried to gauge his temperature. “You’re maybe a little warm.” She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping she sounded more sure than she was. Maybe her hands were just cold? “Do you feel feverish?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Mostly just nauseous.” He slid an arm across his torso. “And my stomach hurts.”

Jyn swallowed, feeling very much out of her depth. “Keep drinking water.”

“I’ll try.” 

“Do you think it was something you ate?”

“I’m not sure.” He squinted at her in the dark.

“I feel fine.” She thought back to everything she’d eaten in the last 24 hours. Nothing tasted off, her stomach felt normal– aside from the knot of anxiety forming over Cassian’s illness. 

After few more tentative sips of water, he put down the canteen and slumped onto the mattress. “That’s good,” he muttered. “You don’t want this.”

Jyn felt an uncomfortable surge of sympathy and had to keep from reaching out again. She looked around for something she could do. “Can I…?” She tugged at the blankets, currently pinned under his legs. 

He nodded, shifting so she could pull them free and toss them over him. 

“Better?”

“A bit.”

Jyn worried her lower lip. “Are you sure you don’t need the medbay?”

He exhaled, somewhere between a sigh and a groan. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep it off.”

“Okay.” She stepped back and lingered awkwardly in the middle of his room, torn between giving him space and keeping an eye on him. 

“You should sleep, too.”

“I will.” Maybe she should sleep here. Cassian didn't seem seriously ill and the floor would be far from comfortable but… just in case.

“In your own room.” 

“Fine.” If he wasn’t going to relax until she left, she’d leave. “Promise to comm if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

They stared each other down for another second, then Jyn nodded and slipped back into the hallway, where she nearly ran into Kay.

“ _Karking hell_ s.” She stumbled backwards and pressed a hand to her chest. “Were you just  _waiting_  out here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“There is a 99.9% chance Cassian is ill.”

“Brilliant deduction,” Jyn muttered. 

“Although you were present, I calculated it best for me to be close by in case you needed assistance.”

“I appreciate it.” Jyn started walking back to her own quarters, cursing under her breath when Kay followed. 

“You see, this incident is further evidence of the fallacy of intelligent design.”

“Is it.”

“Why would a being of supposedly higher intelligence design for humans such a violent and unpleasant manner of purging the digestive tract?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Jyn reached her door and smirked. “Maybe the higher being was actually just stupid.” 

Kay let out an indignant whir. “Jyn Erso, I hardly took you for one to argue  _in favor_  of such a concept.”

“What can I say? My actions are continually unexpected.”

 

* * *

 

Despite her best efforts to relax and tell herself everything was fine, Jyn didn’t sleep well. Rationally, she knew she shouldn’t worry. Cassian would probably be better in the morning and promised to comm if he needed anything. Her datapad volume was on max and she was a light sleeper, but she could admit to herself that it was hard to put the image of Cassian sweating and nauseous out of her mind. 

In the end, she managed a couple hours but gave up around 0600. She wondered if it was too early to check on Cassian again. She didn’t want to seem overbearing but…

_Screw it_. He was sick, they were friends, she had a right to be worried, didn’t she?

With that resolve in mind, she threw off the covers and stole back down the hall. She’d try not to bother him, she just wanted to see how he was doing. With any luck, he wouldn’t even wake up. 

Then she looked inside and forgot all thoughts of keeping her distance. Cassian was awake and curled over his stomach, panting, his face tight with pain. 

"Shit, what happened?" Before she could overthink it, she rushed to his side and helped him sit up.

"Don't know," he said between breaths. "I just woke up and my stomach really hurts."

She put a hand to his forehead. "You're burning up." This time, she was sure. Heat was coming off him in waves and he was sweating through his clothes.

He didn’t say anything, but leaned heavily onto her shoulder as she ran her hands over his back. 

“I’m calling a medic.” She reached for her comm– she didn’t care what he said this time.

But he didn’t protest, just winced as she made him lie down again. He kept one hand pressed to his lower right side, and something occurred to her. 

“Cassian,” She leaned over, trying to find his eyes. "Where exactly does it hurt?"

"Here." He didn't move his hand, just tapped his fingers and Jyn felt her heart sink.

“I think it’s your appendix. You’re going to need surgery.”

His eyes opened wide in a panic and his breathing sped up.

“But you’re going to be fine! It’s going to be fine,” she said, trying to speak through the fear rising in her throat. “Just calm down. The medics will be here soon.”

He nodded, then grabbed her hand and squeezed it so tight she winced. “Don’t leave. Please.”

“I won’t.” Gods, how did he think she could?

 

Without comming anyone, Jyn skipped the mission briefing and two training sessions and waited in the recovery ward for Cassian's surgery to be over. When he was out, she planted herself next to his bed and refused to leave before he woke up.

By the time he did, she was exhausted from the stress and her mostly sleepless night and the hard medbay chair was making her back hurt. But it was worth it for the relief on Cassian’s face when he saw her. 

“You stayed,” he whispered, like he couldn’t quite believe it. 

“Of course I did.” She smiled, then her relief gave way to irritation and she tried to glare at him. “After last night, I’m never leaving you again.”

It came out stronger than she meant it, but she didn’t back down, fighting to keep the blush from her neck. 

Cassian just smiled and reached weakly for her hand. “Good.”

“Really?” She took it and ran her thumb over his cold fingers. 

“Really.” He was still smiling up at her, and she smiled back at him, almost unconsciously leaning down…

“Jyn Erso.” 

_Fuck._ Someday, she was going to shoot that kriffing droid and it would not be her fault. 

“I am pleased to see Cassian is recovering.”

“Thanks, Kay,” Cassian said, although he didn’t let go of her hand. 

“And I would like to thank you for your timely recruitment of medical assistance.” 

“…You’re welcome.” Jyn had a feeling he wasn’t done.

“Although I hope this settles once and for all our argument concerning intelligent design. Even your deity would not be foolish enough to create an organic with such a pointless organ so prone to infection.”

Jyn snorted and Cassian stared blankly between them. 

“Jyn, you’ll have to explain this to me when I’m on fewer painkillers.”

She shook her head. “I will, but it probably won’t make any more sense.” 

Then she leaned down and kissed him– a quick, light press of their lips. Because fuck it, he was not going to almost-die without knowing how she felt. She searched his face as she came up, praying it wasn't a mistake, but he was smiling and his eyes were bright. 

"See?" she said. "Not leaving."

He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Me neither."

She was leaning down again when Kay whirred loudly. "In case you were wondering, Cassian, I was concerned as well."

"I'm sorry, Kay," Cassian said, although his eyes didn't leave Jyn. "I'm all right."

She kissed him then, because it was still such a relief to hear him say that. 

Kay sighed. "Organics."

**Author's Note:**

> While this was originally on tumblr, I may have *accidentally* deleted that post so… it's gone. Although I took the opportunity to make some bigger-than-usual changes so this version is much better anyway.
> 
>  
> 
> You can find lots of my _other_ fics there and even more cat pics (lbr… it's mostly cat pics)- at [cats-and-metersticks](https://cats-and-metersticks.tumblr.com/)


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